Simon Cowell says Britney Spears is on a mission to "prove to the world there's more to her."

The British mogul is working with the pop princess on The X Factor and he is getting to see how the 30-year-old acts up close and personal.

And he told People magazine that despite all of the setbacks the mother-of-two has faced, she's a fighter.

"She's not on the show to be Britney Spears on a TV show," Simon revealed. "She's actually there to prove to the world there's more to her, and she's got the ability to do this job really well. She's taken the role really seriously."

Simon added that he was "fascinated" by Britney's down-to-earth personality.

"It's quite interesting because when someone has done what she's done as she has with her career, and being such a public person, you kind of think she is going to be very confident, but in real life she's shy," he shared.

"There's kind of a mystique about her which I think is what kind of attracted me to her in the first place."